Integrated circuits often comprise two or more circuits connected to each other. Wires, also referred to as bonds, are used to connect different integrated circuits. Bonds, which may be made of any conductive material, such as gold or copper, may be used, for example, to connect the die portion of an integrated circuit to a package substrate. Often, a number of these wires are located in close proximity to each other. This may be because the inputs and/or outputs for a circuit are located in close proximity to each other.
However, this proximity can cause cross-talk originated jitter or noise in the signals. More specifically, jitter can occur in a signal due to parasitic mutual inductance voltage noise caused by changes in the signal of neighboring bonds. For example, when the output of a signal changes (e.g., toggles from a high signal to a low signal), there is a resulting change in current in the bond. Further, this change in current causes, as a result of the parasitic mutual inductance, induced noise and/or jitter in neighboring bonds.
The parasitic mutual inductance may also cause noise, or jitter, in the signal at an output. Noise is a series of electric fluctuations and disturbances in the signal in a wire. Noise can cause errors in a circuit, as the components receiving the signal may incorrectly detect the signal. By way of example, where the signal is a high signal, a jitter in the signal may result in the circuit detecting a low signal. Thus, incorrect switching of devices in the integrated circuit may occur, leading to errors in the circuit and the output of the circuit. Further, more jitter in a signal causes a degradation of the valid signal timing and may damage timing parameters such as setup and hold, as well as damage to the eye pattern quality.
Therefore, a need exists for an integrated circuit that accounts for the parasitic mutual inductance and reduces or eliminates the effect of the parasitic mutual inductance or parasitic mutual capacitance in wires, bonds and/or package traces in an integrated circuit.